1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a cleaning apparatus, and specifically to a mechanical cleaning apparatus for cleaning the sealing surfaces of a coke oven door or jamb.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Coke ovens are a great cause of air pollution and one of the reasons for air pollution resulting from coke ovens is that the door seals and sealing surfaces of mating doors and door jambs are not maintained sufficiently clean to obtain a reasonably fluid tight seal between the door and the jamb. When a door seal contacts an associated door jamb and the door seal or jamb have carbon and other deposits left thereon, the door may not seal fully with the jamb.
Many different apparatuses have been proposed to clean carbon and other foreign matter from the door seals and jambs of coke ovens.
Mechanical jamb cleaners, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,758, have been heretofore designed, but most mechanical jamb cleaners of this type involve high costs, considerable maintenance and are not as efficient as desired. Further, other seal and jamb cleaning devices, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,426, utilize high velocity gas jets to clean both the door seals and jambs of a coke oven. However, it has been found that high velocity gas jets are unsatisfactory in that the desired degree of cleaning and efficiency of operation is not obtainable. Still further, devices utilizing steam under high pressure, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,753, have also been designed for cleaning coke oven door seals and jambs. However, there is a reluctance to utilize steam operated jamb and door seal cleaners, even though they are capable of efficient cleaning operations, inasmuch as steam operated jamb cleaners require high pressure steam boilers and the high pressure steam constitutes a safety hazard.